topic Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings? in General Discussion

Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

cbum63 — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 03:06:50 GMT

Hey fellow Canon fans,

So, here’s the thing — I’ve been experimenting with AI tools lately (yes, the same kind that writes emails faster than I can find my lens cap) and it got me wondering… could they actually help us pick the right camera settings?

I mean, imagine telling an AI: “I’m shooting a sunset over a lake, handheld, and my coffee hasn’t kicked in yet”, and it replies with, “Use f/8, ISO 400, and a shutter speed of 1/250 — and maybe switch to decaf.”

Has anyone here actually tried asking AI for advice on aperture, ISO, or shutter speed? Did it get anywhere close to what you’d choose yourself, or did it suggest something that would make even the most patient tripod walk away?

Curious to hear your thoughts — and if you’ve done it, I’d love to know whether AI nailed it or turned your photos into modern art.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

shadowsports — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 12:03:40 GMT

Greetings,

While AI can be used for guidance, nothing is going to take the place of your own skill and experience. Many situations are unique. There is no way for AI to accurately determine the shooting conditions reliably.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Tintype_18 — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 14:47:15 GMT

If I was buying a camera, I would start here using the experiences of the many members.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

FloridaDrafter — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:57:44 GMT

"could they [AI] actually help us pick the right camera settings?"

It's what cell phones do all the time, so yes.

Newton

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

mglotspeich — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 21:19:25 GMT

I agree. We don't want to take away the fun and challenges of photography.

Mike

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

kvbarkley — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 23:29:38 GMT

Sounds like an "H-bomb to kill an ant" issue. If you don't trust the camera's AI to choose the settings, and aren't familiar enough to critique a setting suggestion, then how can you blindly trust some random AI?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

JFG — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:56:52 GMT

One more thing is that all AI have a disclaimer clauses that state the following: "This content has been generated by an artificial intelligence language model. While we strive for accuracy and quality, please note that the information provided may not be entirely error-free or up-to-date. We recommend independently verifying the content and consulting with professionals for specific advice or information. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the use or interpretation of this content." So just be aware that AI is not error free and makes mistakes. I myself rather learn from my own mistakes and not AI mistakes. Also if you are using AI for information you should at least know enough to recognize when AI is off in ourter space. Just my two cents. 😉

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

TimBird — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 21:04:10 GMT

How many apps are already on our phones to assist with exposure in different scenarios... a.k.a. Photo Pills? But I agree with others that a solid understanding of the craft and technique of photography will serve anyone well in the field.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

vantage — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:40:59 GMT

I'd go a step further: All situations are unique. Lighting changes, subject changes, distance to subject changes, etc from one frame to another.

There's no way a *language* model that's just copying text wholesale from photography articles/websites can evaluate a given scene let alone the photographers' objective.

The full-auto firmware in the camera already picks the best settings in real-time while allowing the user to change things (PASM) for the desired effect.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Hamzzi — Thu, 28 May 2026 08:01:40 GMT

I use AI tools as a quick starting point, then tweak settings based on the light and what I want the shot to feel like. It speeds things up nicely.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Jkarl — Thu, 28 May 2026 14:05:05 GMT

First off there is AI built into Canon cameras and you can use the Auto+ mode to get an initial reading.

Are you meaning to use online AI for the initial setup? The problem with that is the AI has no clue what the exposure conditions are in that situation even if you try to explain it.

With respect to FloridaDrafter I don't think that the AI in phones is very good at capturing what I want, it does what it wants and to bad for you.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

JFG — Thu, 28 May 2026 18:13:13 GMT

Yes, Large Language Models (LLMs) like DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini can absolutely help you choose camera settings, but they function more like an expert, interactive guidebook rather than a real-time exposure meter.

While they can’t look through your viewfinder in real time to adapt to a sudden cloud blocking the sun, they are incredibly powerful for planning, troubleshooting, and breaking down complex shooting scenarios.

Here is how you can effectively use AI tools to dial in your camera settings, along with their limitations:

1. Scene Planning and "Baseline" Settings

If you describe a specific scenario, hardware setup, and creative goal, an AI can give you an incredibly accurate baseline exposure recipe.

The Prompt: "I'm using a mirrorless camera with a 200-800mm telephoto lens and a 1.4x extender to shoot fast-moving birds in manual mode on a bright, slightly overcast day. What shutter speed should I prioritize to keep images sharp, and how should I handle my aperture constraint?"
The AI Output: It will immediately calculate that the 1.4x extender eats light (dropping your maximum aperture), remind you that you'll need a minimum shutter speed of around 1/2000s to freeze flight, and suggest an Auto ISO range with exposure compensation to balance the overcast sky.

2. Reverse-Engineering Inspiration

Many AI tools have multimodal capabilities, meaning you can upload an image you admire and ask the AI to analyze it.

How it helps: You can upload a photo and ask, "What focal length, aperture, and lighting style do you think were used to achieve this look?" * The Result: The AI will break down the depth of field (e.g., "This looks like a wide-open f/2.8 or f/4 aperture due to the compressed, creamy background bokeh") and suggest the settings you need to replicate it.

3. Demystifying Complex Menu Systems and Techniques

Modern cameras have deeply buried settings, especially when it comes to advanced autofocus tracking, custom button mapping, or niche styles like macro focus-bracketing.

Instead of digging through a 500-page PDF manual, you can ask an AI: "How do I set up subject-detection tracking specifically for small insects or animal eyes on my specific camera body?" * It can give you a step-by-step walkthrough of exactly which menus to toggle.

Where AI Falls Short (The Limitations)

The "Hallucination" Factor: Language models predict text based on massive datasets of photography forums and articles. If you ask for a highly specific technical spec (like the exact flash sync speed of a brand-new camera body), it can occasionally hallucinate incorrect numbers. Always cross-reference critical hardware limits.
Dynamic Environments: Light changes frame by frame. An AI can tell you to use f/8, ISO 400, 1/250s for a sunset, but it doesn't know if a cloud just rolled in, or if your subject suddenly started running.

The Best Approach: Use AI tools at home during your pre-shoot prep to build a "game plan" for your settings, map your custom buttons, and understand your gear's limits. Once you are out in the field, rely on your camera's internal metering, zebra patterns, and histograms to make the final real-time adjustments.

However, remember that all AI have the little disclosure statement that reads: " AI tools can make mistakes and hallucinate information. Crucial details, especially regarding medical, legal, financial, or technical facts, should always be independently verified." 😉

Also remember that "The joy is in the journey, not the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else." John Bingham

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

SignifDigits — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:30:22 GMT

I use Google AI frequently to get suggestions prior to heading to the field, and the search engine to find out what others have done. Most often in the field I don't have phone access, so I've never had the opportunity to search in real-time. And unless I was really stuck I doubt I would as I feel it's my responsibility to be prepared enough to just focus on capturing the moments when I'm shooting and looking something up would be a pain. That said, I would be smart to avail myself of the opportunity rather than bloodying my head beating it against a brick wall. I was having trouble getting AF to work shooting some birds recently and would have loved to have stopped and looked up what stupid thing I was doing wrong, but there was no cell service.

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

FloridaDrafter — Thu, 28 May 2026 23:29:27 GMT

@Jkarl wrote:
I don't think that the AI in phones is very good at capturing what I want, it does what it wants and to bad for you.

There are millions of people that would disagree with you on that, I'm not one, but most non photographer type folks make their phone choice by camera features. Besides, AI in these camera phones is intended to relieve the average user of the photographic burden, so you won't have to even know anything about photography to take a decent photo, and that is their choice 🙂

Newton

topic Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings? in General Discussion

Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

​1. Scene Planning and "Baseline" Settings

​2. Reverse-Engineering Inspiration

​3. Demystifying Complex Menu Systems and Techniques

​Where AI Falls Short (The Limitations)

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

Re: Can AI tools like DeepSeekAI help you choose camera settings?

1. Scene Planning and "Baseline" Settings

2. Reverse-Engineering Inspiration

3. Demystifying Complex Menu Systems and Techniques

Where AI Falls Short (The Limitations)